Country angels release rockin’ CD

– Dirt Road Angels

Country girl power is rearing its head as Dirt Road Angels are pumped to release a brand new six-song EP.

Paint the Town Red is set for a concert release tomorrow at Festival Place in Sherwood Park. It is their first CD that blends the fivesome’s different personalities and musical tastes into a harmonious sound.

“Our ages are 19 to the early 50s and we all have different ideas. In this CD we just wanted to put on our lipstick and paint the town red,” says Shawna Lynn who veers toward traditional country.

Dahlia Wakefield and former St. Albert resident Danita Lynn’s voices are at the top of their game belting rock-out country. Shila Marie is a country pop artist in her own right and Karen Claypool adds an edgy dimension as an indie artist.

One of the band’s major strengths is the vocalists’ different registers and how the musical lines are balanced for harmony.

Shawna Lynn compares Dirt Road Angels to Little Big Town and Lady Antebellum, two groups that consistently hit the charts with well-structured mixes.

“We’re actually a country rock version of the Spice Girls. We’re a quintet that does lots of harmonies. There’s no girl group in Canada quite like us and we get lots of compliments on how well we mix. We’re not outdated. We’re very high energy and give everybody a good show,” Shawna Lynn states.

Paint the Town Red is an opportunity for the badass kindred spirits to tell their complex stories of joy, heartbreak and empowerment.

Produced by Rob Hewes Productions, the EP features catchy pop country tunes starting with the title track that also happens to be the first single. It follows with the fun and upbeat Make Me Wanna, the more tender Memories and the heartwarming Best Friend.

For recording support, Dirt Road Angels attracted some of the most seasoned, talented musicians in the area. They are four Canadian Country Music Association award winners: Morinville drummer Chad Melchert, keyboardist Bart MacKay, mandolin player Tyler Vollrath and guitarist Ryan Davidson.

The fivesome originally formed the angels in May 2013. By September they produced a self-titled 15-song compilation of their solo tunes released at 2013’s CCMA week.

In the past year, Dirt Road Angels’ reputation has grown and they’ve become a popular addition to the local area bar circuit selling out houses at St. Albert’s Apex Casino, LB’s Pub and The Beer Hunter.